4.18.2013

Vivekananda’s Message Today

“Sectarianism,
bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this
beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often
and with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair…
I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this
convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with
the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending
their way to the same goal,” Swami Vivekananda at the World Parliament of
Religions.

This year is the 150th
anniversary of Vivekananda’s birth. A religious and historical figure famous
for his speech to the World Parliament of Religions in 1893, Vivekananda is
recognized for introducing Hinduism to the west. Vivekananda’s message of Vedanta resonated in
the United States, resulting in the founding the first Hindu temple in San
Francisco, the establishment of eighteen centers in the United States devoted
to Vedanta, and 174 centers around the world today that honor his lineage and philosophy.
In 1900 Vivekananda lectured for four months at the First Unitarian Church in
Oakland, and his followers eventually founded the Vedanta Society in Berkeley
in 1939.

“The spiritual life
is closely connected with music… Swami Vivekananda said that music is one of
the gates by which one’s mind can be concentrated. That’s why we’re holding an
event with the music that he loved,” explains Swami Prasannatmananda, Assistant
Swami of the Vedanta Society in Berkeley. The Berkeley Vedanta Society has
hosted a variety of events this year to celebrate the anniversary of
Vivekananda’s birth, but the upcoming event in Cupertino is one of the
highlights. “For the first time in the Bay Area, we are getting together these beautiful
musical personalities in one space to honor Vivekananda,” says
Prasannatmananda.

On April 20th,
Padma Vibhushan Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Padma Vibhushan Pt. Jasraj, Pt.
Swapan Chaudhuri, and Pt. Subhankar Banerjee will present a classical concert
featuring Vivekananda’s favorite music. Chaurasia, a renowned bansuri player,
was recognized by the Government of India with the award of Padma Vibhushan and
has been appointed as a Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters by France’s Ministry
of Culture. He has also composed music for multiple Bollywood movies, including
Silsila and Lamhe. Jasraj, a classical vocalist, has a range of three and a
half octaves and the distinction of being recognized by the Government of India
as Padma Vibhushan. Chaudhuri is widely recognized as a tabla virtuoso, and has
been awarded the Bharat Ke Sangeet Ratna by the Art and Cultural Trust of
India, as well as receiving two Grammy Award nominations. Banerjee is a well known accompanist on
tabla, receiving a personal award from the President of India.

“Swami Vivekananda
had a beautiful voice and loved music. This event is an important way for his
devotees and followers to offer him respect,” comments Prasannatmananda. It is
also an important opportunity to celebrate, and revisit, Vivekananda’s
teachings. “Swami Vivekananda offered tremendous assurance, that human potentiality
is essentially divine. We are all traveling together from a lower to a higher
truth,” says Prasannatmananda. And it is Vivekananda’s message of religious
tolerance and respect for which he’s still remembered, and revered, today. “His
teachings are even more relevant today than they were before. This anniversary
celebration is an important opportunity to renew his teachings,” concludes
Prasannatmananda.

Vivekananda took the
United States, and the world, by storm upon his introduction to the west. The
son of a Calcutta lawyer, Vivekananda had the perfect blend of educational
training and religious experience to speak to western audiences. Yet he
remained an untiring proponent of India, and a fierce advocate for religious
tolerance. As Vivekananda said, “The
devotion to God as seen in every religion is divided into two parts: the
devotion which works through forms and ceremonies and through words, and that
which works through love.”